


The Rebel Academy

by Take_Me_Higher



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkwardness, But Not Much, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Minor Character Death, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Alternating, Swearing, Violence, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 08:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6847285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Take_Me_Higher/pseuds/Take_Me_Higher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I apologise if this is terrible.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I apologise if this is terrible.

"Clara!" Mrs Bard screamed for the third time that morning. It was already 11 o'clock and yet her eldest daughter still seemed incapable of functioning. The ever-suffering mother sighed as her ebony-haired daughter sauntered down the stairs, taking her sweet time as usual. At least Mrs Bard had been able to convince her to accompany them on their shopping trip today; an astounding feat when one considered Clara's hatred for fashion and clothing and all things related to them. The only clothes she ever seemed obsessed with were her trainers.  
  
"Lucky enough for you that the school requires practical clothing. You trying to dress fashionably is about as successful as the Titanic's maiden voyage." Eve, Clara's sister and Mrs Bard's youngest daughter, surveyed Clara's worn attire with disgust. The very sight of such baggy jeans seemed to offend her on a personal level. Mrs Bard rolled her eyes and turned, ready to leave.  
"Don't criticise your sister, she doesn't bully you so I expect you to be kinder. After all she'll be leaving in a few days and..." Mrs Bard couldn't finish her sentence. She'd heard so many stories of people sending their beloved children to the Academy only for them to never return, having perished in action for the Rebellion's cause. "Hurry up, won't you? The shops will close by the time you two are finished." She strode out to the car, her head high and her heart heavy. The prospect of losing Clara was much to grim to think of right now.  
  
By the time the two siblings were strapped in the car, Mrs Bard had launched into the same speech she gave them every time they went into public. Being home-schooled had meant they had very few interactions outside, but each one was always kept restricted to keep them safe.  
  
"You both now the drill by now. Keep your heads down and your mouths shut. We've managed this long without trouble so we best not mess it up now." Clara gazed out of the window, a pinched expression on her face. Of course she hated her abnormalities, she hated how her family had to hide because of them most of all. If they were discovered, the government would certainly punish their family with many unspeakable tortures for harbouring Clara and Clara herself... Well, those thoughts are best not dwelt on.  
  
She caught Eve's walnut eyes watching her in the wing-mirror, a dark expression on her face that seemed a permanent feature of hers as of late. Clara preferred not to question it, knowing her sister wouldn't share anything she didn't want to. It was how she had always been. In fact, despite how similar the siblings looked, they were incredibly different. Clara loved sports, getting her hands dirty and cared very little for her appearance, contrasting greatly to her sister's religious following of the latest trends and absolute hatred for any sporting activities.  
  
Despite the awkward silence, the journey to the shopping centre passed surprisingly quickly and upon arrival, Eve brightened up almost immediately. Clothing was certainly her area of expertise, so Clara decidedly agreed with most of the ideas she came up with. She was promptly dragged around various shops, picking up t-shirts, jumpers and a rather comfortable pair of cargos as their mother trailed after them with an amused smile on her face. Clara did draw the line at the suggestion of a dress for events, as heaven forbid she ever bare her skinned knees in something with her skirt. Her naturally mocha-toned skin turned ashen at the very thought. Eventually, her mother called the outing to an end, piling both siblings back into the car and driving them to their favourite cafe for dinner.  
  
Despite being quite small, the café was always inviting and the coffee was delicious, with cosy armchairs pulled close to the tables topping off the whole deal. Clara and Eve went and snagged a table by the window, sitting opposite each other and grinning as their mother trotted off to order.  
  
"Are you nervous? I know I would be." Eve was watching her sister with a look of concern, which was quite rare considering their opposing personalities and general rivalry. It wasn't often that Eve actually showed she cared.  
  
"I am, I suppose. But there's no going back now, anyway. I've signed up, enlisted. I'm going to be a part of this, whether I want it or not. Besides, with me being the way I am... I might as well put the abilities to some use. It's what Granddad and Granny would've wanted, y'know?" Clara dropped her head down, staring at her hands in her lap. Eve's eyebrows furrowed, her frown deepening.  
  
"I know. It's not long now. You'll be leaving on Sunday. I'm going to miss you, Clay-head." The old nickname rolled softly off her tongue and Clara looked up, a small but sad smile on her face.  
  
"I'll miss you too, Evie." She'd miss them all. But would she regret her decision?


	2. Chapter 1 - A Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So instead of revising for my exams, I'm doing this. Wow.

 

The day had arrived much more quickly than Clara expected, probably because she was so nervous about it. It wouldn't be a lie to say she was excited, but she also felt unprepared. Would this be the last time she saw her family? Would she fit in at The Academy? Would she even be useful? <br/><br/>

Her mind buzzed and seemed to spin as she tried to process her emotions. Shaking her head, she decided that she might as well take the day as it came because there would be no backing out now. She rose from her childhood bed and faced her wardrobe, searching the few items of clothing that hadn't been packed yet. It took a while, but she finally settled on a pair of comfy black leggings and a plain blue t-shirt, an ideal travel ensemble in her mind, and skipped off to the bathroom to wash and dress herself. She at least wanted to make a decent impression on her new classmates.<br/><br/>

Once she deemed herself presentable (which didn't take long to achieve), Clara slumped her way down the stairs. The gravity of her situation had finally set in; she was leaving her home, her family, the only people she knew behind and she might never return. It was a difficult thought to process indeed and she certainly didn't feel capable of managing it as she slouched into a seat at the dining table in the kitchen. She'd made her way into the kitchen in a daze and only seemed to be pulled out of it as her dad cleared his throat, watching her with a hint of softness in his usually hard eyes.<br/><br/>

"You're panicking. Don't hide it, it's natural. Food might settle your nerves a bit, you've got a big day." He slid her a cup of steaming coffee and stood, beginning to potter around by the stove. The coffee was strong and burning hot and it quickly cheered Clara up. She took a few appreciative sips. Her sister and mother must sill have been getting ready, but her father was dressed in his usual business slacks, probably about to head out to work. <br/><br/>

"Wow, look at you two socialising! We should leave them alone together more often, Eve. Looks like the loners get along better than we thought." Mrs Bard came into the room grinning, lugging a large suitcase behind her. Eve was following her, a backpack that was also stuffed slung over her shoulder. Her mother pecked Mr Bard on the cheek before turning to eye up Clara, slumped in her seat and clinging to her coffee like it was her life support. <br/><br/>

"Oh no, woman! Don't even think about it! I don't do kisses. No way." Clara grumbled, smiling despite herself as Eve ruffled her hair and then gave her a mortified look.<br/><br/>

"Woah, Clara! Did you even brush your hair this morning?" Eve's warm eyes skimmed over her sister's frizzy hair before she stood behind her, beginning to scrape Clara's hair back into a ponytail. Clara squeeked, her head being jerked about by her sister's firm hands until the pontytail was finally secured with a bobble from Eve's wrist. A huff escaped the elder girl as she patted her skull where it ached from the tight styling. <br/><br/>

"What are you trying to do, scalp me? Chill your beans!" The younger sibling rolled her eyes. "Well, at least you don't look deranged anymore. Anyone would've thought you lived in a forest and had never seen a brush. Today's a big day, gotta look the part, sis!" Despite her sister's usual aversion to showing much affection for her big sister, Eve seemed fairly nervous for her. She was right about the day being long however, because Clara would have a long journey to travel today. Beginning with the ride to the train station, which she assumed would be taking place very shortly, considering the time.<br/><br/>

"When are we setting off for the station?" Clara peered up at her mother from behind her coffee mug, head tilted slightly. <br/><br/>

"Shortly. We have time for some cereal, but after that we need to go. We can't have you missing your train. I have your ticket in my bag." Mrs Bard was already shovelling cereals into bowls, milk at the ready. She certainly wasn't kidding about the need to go. Soon enough, they were all seated and devouring their cereals in a companionable silence, her mother watching the clock carefully and Clara being careful not to spill any down her front. She had just finished and begun to put on her grey hooded jacket when her mother tutted, wheeling the suitcase out. <br/><br/>

"Don't dawdle. Grab your backpack and hurry. We need to be at the train station and have you on the train in 15 minutes!" Mrs Bard called behind her, loading the suitcase into the car boot. Eve slurped the last of her cereal and Clara grabbed her bag, the eldest sister locking the door behind them as they left the house and got buckled into the car. The trip to the train station passed surprisingly fast, the scenery of Clara's hometown rushing past as they navigated their way to the train station.<br/><br/>

"The letter with the ticket says you'll be in a reserved carriage with the other students travelling on that particular train. That sounds like a good thing, eh? You can make some friends on the way in. Once you get to the end of the train trip, a coach picks you up. Or at least that's what the letter says." Mrs Bard prattled on, reciting what she knew of what was about to happen to her daughter. It was unusual for her calm and collected mother to seem this outwardly anxious; her mother had always been the family rock, holding everyone together. Clara watched through her window as the land passed, but didn't really seem to take it in. She was stuck in her own mind, contemplating the events to come. She knew she couldn't back out any more and she didn't really want to, but she would miss her family immensely.<br/><br/>

The train station was packed full of people, ready to make their daily commutes, but Mrs Bard still managed to navigate the platforms. She even flagged down a worker to escort Clara to the reserved carriage so she wouldn't get lost. Clara barely had time to hug them both and say goodbye before she was on the train. The reserved carriage was the one right at the back of the train and as they approached she could already see some people seated through the window. Nerves struck her as she entered the carriage.<br/><br/>

Immediately, Clara scanned the others already seated. She could sit on her own, but her mother had encouraged her to make friends as quickly as possible because she would have to live with these people. Swallowing hard, her eyes were caught by a bright head of shocking white hair. A slim girl was attached, wearing brightly coloured clothing. Sat with her were two others: somebody with brown hair snuggle into a large jumper and a rather androgynous looking person, with flowing blonde locks. They looked fairly approachable, so she decided to do exactly that. <br/><br/>

"Hi, I'm Clara. I was wondering if I could sit with you guys?" Her voice didn't wobble, but inside her head Clara was screaming at herself for being so awkward. Their heads swivelled towards her and the white-haired girl flashed her a grin as bright as her hair.<br/><br/>

"Sure, take a seat next to Cole! He's a little awkward, so don't mind him. He'll probably curl up while he gathers the mental strength to speak." Clara sat herself next to the brunette, apparently called Cole, who scowled at the excitable girl. He did remain silent though, a nervous glance at Clara seemed to be enough social interaction for him at the moment. <br/><br/>

"I'm Alice and this is Isaac," She gestured to the blonde next to her, "Isaac prefers to be called them and they, by the way. I'm sure you're okay with that, you seem cool." Clara nodded, smiling politely at Isaac.<br/><br/>

"Of course, it's your body after all." Isaac seemed to relax a bit more at that, their shoulders sinking back.<br/><br/>

"I just like to let people know straight away, it's easier than explaining it later on. Although some plebs refuse to understand. Nice to meet you, darling." Isaac grinned at Clara, flipping their hair over their shoulder. <br/><br/>

"I'm so excited! I've been wanting to go to the Acdemy since I heard about it! It'll be nice to not have to worry about hiding myself. Also, it'll be great to put my powers to good use. I feel like it's a waste to just hide them all the time, don't you?" Alice seemed to shine she was so enthusiastic. Cole finally poked his head out of his jumper.<br/><br/>

"I just hope I can be useful. I don't get to use my powers much, so I'm not really practiced." His voice was soft and quiet, but he spoke very clearly. Clara wanted to pat him on the head; his mousy brown hair looked really fluffy and cute. She settled back in her seat, relaxing herself. Although the train ride and bus journey was suppose to take about 4 hours in total, Clara felt like it would pass much more quickly in the company of her new friends.<br/><br/>

The Academy looked nothing like Clara thought it would. In her head, Clara still saw her situation as some kind of dream and for some reason she had been expecting a huge castle or a stylish modern college look. However, the Academy looked more like as military base or industrial complex. There appeared to be huge warehouses, garages and craft hangars dotted about on hard tarmac and neatly trimmed grass. There were even guard towers.<br/><br/>

As she retrieved her luggage from the storage of the bus, she scanned what appeared to be the gate. A large, beefy man who seemed to be a security guard was opening the heavy metal gates which were set into an opposing brick wall. A glance around allowed Clara to estimate that she would be entering the school with about 50 to 70 other students. Alice seemed undaunted sauntering towards the gate with no worries. Clara hurried to catch up to her.<br/><br/>

"This place looks muc more intimidating than I imagined it would be." Clara walked alongside the excitable girl, noting the ever-present spring in her step. <br/><br/>

"You can't judge a book by it's cover, Clara! Maybe it's really nice inside, with loas of cats and bean-bags!" Alice's face lit up at the idea of the school having feline occupants. They came to a standstill at the gate, a tall man with arms like barrels blocking the way.<br/><br/>

"STUDENTS! My name is Principal Jerry Evans! I will lead you to the main hall for some food momentarily. However, first I would like to confirm that you all understand why you are here. This is not some fancy, upper-class boarding school, nor is it a place for slacking off. Each one of you has been carefully selected and I expect you to make sure we do not regret taking you on. You are training for the most important battles of your life- your battle for freedom! Do not fail us." A vein was throbbing on the side of his hea, which had steadly turned a shade of plum as he screamed. He was definitely very passionate, that's for sure. Speech over, he turned on his heels and began stomping off, the startled teenagers in tow. <br/><br/>

When the crazy principal had finally led them to the hall, Clara was pleasently surprised to see that inside, the compound was slightly more welcoming, although there were no catsn or bean-bags in sight. The hall was immense, filled with at least 20 tables designed to seat 4. Each table also had a number, for a reason Clara had yet to figure out. Along the side of the hall was a huge food counter, separating the kitchens and the hall. Evans halted the stampede yet again, turning to face the crowd.<br/><br/>

"Before you take your seats, you will each be assigned a number. I have a list of names here, so listen carefully for your table number." He seemed to have calmed a little, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the youngsters. Clara paid close attention until she heard her name being called along with 3 others:<br/><br/>

"On table 4, there will be: Adrien Parker, Nova Andrews, Clara Bard and Derek May. Take your seats." Clara hurried away from the crowd, counting table numbers until she arrived at 4. She took a seat as a blonde boy sat across from her. They were swiftly joined by a boy with incredibly dark eyes and a girl with pastel blue hair.<br/><br/>

"Why do we have to sit like this? What's going on? I don't want to sit with him," The blue haired girl was glaring at the blonde fiercely, "He's already insulted me enough." The blonde rubbed the back of his neck, his expression awkward.<br/><br/>

"I didn't think you'd take it as an insult, in my defence. There was no need to be so touchy." He muttered, voice getting quieter with each word he said. <br/><br/>

"Touchy? You said I was a hot piece of dwarf ass! How dare you?" The brunette boy rolled his intensely dark eyes. <br/><br/>

"Hey, I'm sure there's a reason to it. In the meantime, we could at least get to know each other. I'm Clara Bard. See, easy? You're turn." Clara intervened, gesturing at the blonde boy. <br/><br/>

"I'm Adrien. The guy already read out our names. Are you ok in the head?" The blonde had no tact at all, but at least he appeared genuinely concerned for Clara. The bluenette huffed. <br/><br/>

"Maybe she just wants to match the names to the faces, numbskull. I'm Nova Andrews, it's nice to meet you Clara." Nova shook Clara's hand, making eye contact. Clara noticed that she also had very strange eyes, for Clara couldn't spot a pupil at all in her hazel orbs. <br/><br/>

"Derek." The boy with the pitch black eyes finally chipped in, looking bored. Nova nodded, putting her head down. Derek's hair was almost as dark as his eyes, but his irises blended perfectly with his pupils as if they were an abyss.<br/><br/>

Eventually they all we allowed to take food, once everyone had been seated. Clara caught a glimpse of Alice's white pigtails bobbing as she sat at a far off table. Cole and Isaac were both much nearer however, to Clara's relief.<br/><br/>

It wasn't long before Principal Evans seemed ready to make another speech again, but he glared impatiently at the teens rather than begin while they ate. Clara gulped down her food as quickly as possible, practically hoovering up her peas. It seemed the others at her table had similar ideas, for Nova was sipping idly at a drink, Adrien toying with his braids and Derek staring off into space by the time she had finished herself. Once the dining area had quietened down under his ever-lasting glare, he began:<br/><br/>

"You're probably wondering why you have been seated in such an arrangement. This is for a very important reason. I hope you like the people you are sat with, because you're going to be stuck with them for a while. For the next year, you will be trained as teams. Each table is a team of four students and you will all have a team tutor to guide you. There is to be no complaints. You signed up for this. Deal with it." Evans very swiftly retaliated to the groan echoing around the room, his barrel arms folded as he stared the students down.<br/><br/>

"You will also be living in these teams within your dorms. Your tutors will be introducing themselves and escorting you to your accommodations shortly. You can ask them any quesions you may have. Please return to your food." Clara turned to find Derek with an almost murderous look on his face. <br/><br/>

"Nobody told me I had to work with other idiots. If I knew I wouldn't have bothered. It's more trouble than it's worth." Nova rolled her eyes at him, a smug grin on her face. <br/><br/>

"What's wrong? Are you afraid? After all, it's too late now. You're stuck here, punk. Either get used to it and put in some effort or go find a corner to cry in." Her voice was surprisingly deep as she issued her challenge, staring him in the eye with her own unnerving gaze. Derek huffed and looked away. Clara and Adrien shared a worried glance that clearly meant only one thing. <br/><br/>

_Fuck._


End file.
